History Highlight:

Thurston Moore is 65. The American guitarist, singer and songwriter is best known as a founding member of the rock band Sonic Youth. Moore has also played with many other groups and released seven solo albums so far. He ranked 34th in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” 

Also, Today In: 

1925 - The first 50,000-watt radio station, WGY from Schenectady, NY, began transmission. 

1959 - Introduced by Johnny Cash, 13-year-old Dolly Parton makes her Grand Ole Opry debut singing George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby." She receives three encores. 

1960 - Roy Orbison reached No.2 on the US singles chart with ‘Only the Lonely,’ his first hit. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself. 

1965 - At the Newport Folk Festival, Bob Dylan played an electric set for the first time, horrifying folk purists everywhere. 

1966 - The Supremes release "You Can't Hurry Love." 

1968 - The Beatles recorded their first take of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Harrison had been reading the Chinese philosophical text the I Ching, which stipulates that there are no coincidences in the universe (i.e. that everything is connected and thus meant to be), and decided to use the book as inspiration to write a song. So, he opened another book and told himself he would compose a song based on the very first words his eyes landed on. The words turned out to be "gently weeps". 

1969 - Neil Young appeared with Crosby, Stills and Nash for the first time at The Fillmore East in New York. Young was initially asked to help out with live material only, but ended up joining the group on and off for the next 30 years. 

1969 - Yes release their self-titled debut album, one of the first in the progressive rock genre. 

1969 - The Seattle Pop Festival took place at the Gold Creek Park, Woodinville, Washington. Acts who appeared over three days included, Chuck Berry, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Chicago Transit Authority, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley, The Doors, The Flock, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Guess Who, It's A Beautiful Day, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Spirit, Ten Years After, Ike & Tina Turner, Vanilla Fudge, Alice Cooper and The Youngbloods. 

1970 - The Carpenters started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with '(They Long To Be) Close To You'. 

1980 - AC/DC release Back In Black, their first album without lead singer Bon Scott, who died five months earlier. 

1983 - Metallica release their debut album, Kill 'Em All, three months after parting ways with guitarist Dave Mustaine. 

1984 - Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton died at the age of 58 died in Los Angeles of heart and liver complications. She had a No.1 R&B hit in 1953 with ‘Hound Dog’ (later covered by Elvis Presley). She also wrote and recorded ‘Ball 'n' Chain,’ which Janis Joplin recorded. 

1989 - After leaving Def Jam, Beastie Boys released their second album, Paul's Boutique, on Capitol Records. The album, containing singles "Hey Ladies" and "Shadrach", did not match the sales of the Beastie Boys' previous record, Licensed to Ill, and Capitol eventually stopped promoting it. However, its popularity grew and it has since been recognized as a breakthrough achievement. In 2003, the album was ranked number 156 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. 

1989 - Steve Rubell, one of the owners of Studio 54, dies of AIDS-related causes at age 45. 

1992 - Mary J. Blige's first single, "You Remind Me," hits #1 on the R&B chart, establishing her unique blend of "hip-hop soul." Her next single, "Real Love," tops the chart in October. 

1995 - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony release their breakthrough album E. 1999 Eternal, which sells over 4 million copies. The big hit from the set is "Tha Crossroads," which wins a Grammy for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group. 

1999 - Woodstock '99 ended in chaos with riots, fires, looting, three rapes, and other crimes, including three accidental deaths. In addition, several fans were hospitalized from drinking polluted water. 

2001 - Aaliyah gives her final performance, singing "More Than a Woman" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Exactly one month later, she is flying back from a video shoot in the Bahamas when the overloaded plane crashes and explodes on the runway, killing everyone on board. 

2001 - The Doors' John Densmore, Bonnie Raitt, and others are arrested in Itasca, Illinois, for demonstrating against a company which they claim destroys the rainforest. 

2003 - Erik Braunn, Iron Butterfly guitarist, died of a heart attack related to a birth defect in Los Angeles, California, at age 52. 

2009 - World War I veteran Harry Patch, the subject of the Radiohead song "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)," died at age 111. 

2014 - Weird Al Yankovic became the first comedy act to hit the top spot for more than 50 years. Mandatory Fun, Yankovic's 14th album, and his best-selling since Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released in 1991 went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. 

2019 - PledgeMusic, a platform for fans to fund musicians, goes offline without delivering the money pledged to hundreds of artists. 

2020 - English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Peter Green died in his sleep age 73. As the founder of Fleetwood Mac, his songs, such as 'Albatross', 'Black Magic Woman', 'Oh Well', 'The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)' and 'Man of the World' became worldwide hits. Green left the band in 1970 as he struggled with his mental health.    

Birthdays: 

William 'Benny' Benjamin, primary drummer for Motown house band, The Funk Brothers, was born on this day in 1925. 

Rock musician and composer Tom Dawes (lead vocalist of The Cyrkle) was born in Albany, New York in 1944. He is also remembered for writing the music for some of advertising's best-known commercial jingles, including "Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz" for Alka-Seltzer and "7Up, the Uncola". 

Jim McCarty, Yardbirds drummer, is 80. 

Folk singer-songwriter Steve Goodman was born today in 1984. 

Maureen Herman, of Babes in Toyland, is 57. 

Verdine White, bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire, is 72. 

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.